Thompson Fire in Butte County forces evacuations near Oroville


Evacuation orders and warnings are in place for a wildfire in Butte County that broke out Tuesday. The evacuations include parts of the city of Oroville. The city of Oroville declared a local state of emergency at 7:30 p.m. due to the Thompson Fire. Read the official proclamation here. After the state of emergency was declared, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California had secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant to help Butte County put out the Thompson Fire. KCRA 3’s Carolina Estrada is near Oroville and around 9:30 p.m., she said she saw several homes destroyed by the fire on Bessie Lane. Cal Fire shared an update at 6 p.m. The Thompson Fire is burning near Cherokee Road and Thompson Flat Cemetery Road near Oroville. As of 5:20 p.m., Cal Fire said the fire had grown to 2,136 acres. That’s up from the previous update of 1,621 acres an hour earlier. Cal Fire said crews’ main focus as of 4 p.m. was the Kelly Ridge area. Officials said they were focused on stopping the advance and defending structures. Cal Fire said spot fires have also erupted from the main fire. The fire has also prompted road closures. State Route 162 in Oroville is closed at Kelly Ridge Road due to the fire, according to Caltrans. As of 4 p.m., there is no estimated time for reopening. Alert Cameras across California show a large plume of smoke has been visible for hours since it first erupted around 11:45 a.m. on July 2. KCRA 3 Meteorologist Heather Waldman said the northerly breeze is pushing smoke south into the valley. It’s unclear if any structures have been damaged, Cal Fire said. Evacuations, shelter information and map of Thompson Fire The Butte County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation orders in response. About 13,000 residents are under evacuation orders as of 6 p.m. The orders are in effect for parts of the communities of Oroville, Cherokee, Oroville Northeast, Kelly Ridge and Hurleton. You are legally required to leave the area immediately under the evacuation orders due to the safety threat. The California Department of Water Resources said several State Water Project facilities are affected by the evacuation orders, including the Hyatt Power Plant, the Oroville Field Division office on Glen Drive and the Lake Oroville Visitor Center. Personnel from those facilities have been evacuated to the Thermalito Pumped Storage Generating Station. The DWR added that the Oroville Dam is not in danger. Evacuation warnings are also in place. You are not required to leave when warnings are issued, but it is recommended that you do so in case conditions become dangerous. Below is a map of the evacuations. App users, click here if you do not see the map. As of 2:58 p.m., these areas were under evacuation orders: 532533534535536700 to 716 730731800801806807808809810817818819828851953954958959960964965-AThe Oroville Church of the Nazarene at 2238 Monte Vista Ave. and Gridley Fairgrounds at 199 E Hazel Street are available as shelters, according to Butte County. This fire is burning amid triple-digit heat and northerly winds that increase the risk of wildfires spreading quickly. KCRA 3 has issued a day of warning for Tuesday due to these dangerous conditions. | RELATED | Toll Fire Prompts Evacuations in Napa County | MORE | A 2024 Guide to Preparing for Wildfires in California Here are the top websites that are important to all Californians during wildfire season. Cal Fire Wildfires: Cal Fire tracks its wildfire incidents here. You can sign up to receive text messages for Cal Fire updates on wildfires happening near your ZIP code here. Wildfires on Federal Lands: Federal wildfire incidents are tracked here. Power Outage Preparedness: Ready.gov explains how to prepare for a power outage and what to do when one returns here. Here’s how to track and report PG&E power outages. Stay informed when you’ve lost power and cell service: How to find a National Weather Service radio station near you. Be prepared for road closures: Download the Caltrans QuickMap app or check the latest QuickMap road conditions here. LIVE TRAFFIC MAP Click here to see our interactive traffic map. INTERACTIVE TRACKING, DOPPLER RADAR Click here to see our interactive radar. DOWNLOAD OUR APP FOR THE LATEST NEWS Here’s where you can download our app. Follow our KCRA Weather Team on Social Media Meteorologist Tamara Berg on Facebook and X. Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn on Facebook Meteorologist/Climate Reporter Heather Waldman on Facebook and X. Meteorologist Kelly Curran on X. Watch our forecast on TV or online Here’s where to find our latest video forecasts. You can also watch a live stream of our latest newscast here. The banner on our website turns red when we’re live. We also stream on the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV.

Evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for a wildfire in Butte County that broke out Tuesday. The evacuations include neighborhoods in the city of Oroville.

The City of Oroville has declared a local state of emergency as of 7:30 p.m. due to the Thompson Fire. Read the official proclamation here.

After the state of emergency was declared, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that California had been awarded a Fire Management Assistance Grant to help Butte County put out the Thompson Fire.

KCRA 3’s Carolina Estrada is near Oroville and around 9:30 p.m. she said she saw several homes destroyed by fire on Bessie Lane.

Cal Fire shared an update at 6 p.m.

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The Thompson Fire is raging near Cherokee and Thompson Flat Cemetery roads near Oroville. As of 5:20 p.m., Cal Fire said the fire had grown to 2,136 acres. That’s up from the previous update of 1,621 acres an hour earlier.

According to Cal Fire, crews’ primary focus as of 4 p.m. was the Kelly Ridge area. Officials said they were focused on stopping the advance and defending structures.

Cal Fire said spot fires also broke out from the main fire.

The fire also caused road closures. State Route 162 in Oroville is closed at Kelly Ridge Road due to the fire, according to Caltrans. As of 4 p.m., there is no estimated reopening time.

AlertCalifornia cameras show a large plume of smoke has been visible for hours since it erupted around 11:45 a.m. on July 2. KCRA 3 Meteorologist Heather Waldman said the northerly breeze is pushing the smoke south into the valley.

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It’s unclear whether any structures were damaged, Cal Fire said.

Thompson Fire Department Evacuations, Shelter Information and Map

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation orders in response to this situation. Approximately 13,000 residents are under evacuation orders as of 6 p.m. These orders are in effect in parts of the communities of Oroville, Cherokee, Oroville Northeast, Kelly Ridge and Hurleton. You are legally required to leave immediately under the evacuation orders due to the safety threat.

The California Department of Water Resources said several State Water Project facilities are affected by the evacuation orders, including the Hyatt Power Plant, the Oroville Field Division office on Glen Drive and the Lake Oroville Visitor Center. Personnel from those facilities have been evacuated to the Thermalito Pumped Storage Generating Station.

The DWR added that the Oroville Dam is not in danger.

Evacuation warnings are also in effect. You are not required to leave the area when warnings are issued, but it is recommended that you do so if conditions become dangerous.

Below is a map of the evacuations. App users, click here if you don’t see the map.

As of 2:58 p.m., the following areas were under evacuation orders:

  • 532
  • 533
  • 534
  • 535
  • 536
  • 700 to 716
  • 730
  • 731
  • 800
  • 801
  • 806
  • 807
  • 808
  • 809
  • 810
  • 817
  • 818
  • 819
  • 828
  • 851
  • 953
  • 954
  • 958
  • 959
  • 960
  • 964
  • 965-A

The Oroville Church of the Nazarene at 2238 Monte Vista Ave. and the Gridley Fairgrounds at 199 E Hazel St. are available as shelters, according to Butte County.

The fire is happening amid triple-digit heat and northerly winds that increase the risk of wildfires spreading quickly. KCRA 3 issued a one-day alert for Tuesday due to the dangerous conditions.

| RELATED | Toll Fire Prompts Evacuations in Napa County

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| MORE | A 2024 guide on how to prepare for California wildfires

Here are the top websites that are important to all Californians during wildfire season.

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